Climbing arena up for the cup

Published on Saturday 30 August 2008 11:55

LEISURE chiefs are to launch a bid to bring the world's best climbers to Edinburgh for the sport's flagship international competition.

Attracting the climbing world championships would be a major boost for the local economy, and would see around 200 competitors, their families and supporters descend on the Capital.

The massive event would be staged at the Edinburgh International Climbing Arena (EICA) at Ratho, which has been faced with serious financial difficulties for the past few years.

But the council-owned centre now boasts two competition- standard climbing walls, which includes tricky horizontal overhangs to test the most experienced climbers.

These additions hand Edinburgh the opportunity to host top climbing events for the first time, having already secured the World Youth Climbing Championships in 2010 – expected to boost the local economy by 500,000 – and a leg of next year's European Youth Championship.

Bosses at Edinburgh Leisure – with council backing – will bid for the 2013 International Federation of Sport Climbing (IFSC) World Championships later this autumn. The event, taking place in China next year, is held every two years. They also hope to host a leg of the sport's world cup in 2011.

EICA manager, Graeme Gardiner, said: "We are just a few months into our five-year competition strategy, the climax of which will hopefully be to bring the world championships to Scotland for the first time in 2013. Having successfully hosted the British Youth Championships for the second year in succession earlier this year, and been awarded a 2009 European Youth Championship series and the 2010 World Youth Championships, we see these bids as a natural progression towards the realisation of the world-class vision that Edinburgh Leisure and the city council have for the centre.

"Bringing the championships, plus a leg of the world cup, to the EICA will be a huge economic boost for the arena, but also for the city of Edinburgh."

The plans were first revealed in a series of e-mails obtained by the Evening News.

Bids will be made to the IFSC by the British Mountaineering Council on Edinburgh Leisure's behalf.

More precise calculations on the boost to the city's economy will be worked out at a later stage with assistance from EventScotland and Scottish Enterprise.

City festival and events champion, Steve Cardownie, said:

"We're right behind the bids. We've certainly got what it takes to put on great events."